Ray: Unfortunately you are dealing with someone who refuses to think and is not intrested in truth. In reality, he doesn't care if his beliefs are true. His loyalty is to men, not god, and he will stubbornly resist any efforts to convince him otherwise.
As is typical, when a JW is put on the spot and presented with clear evidence that their position is wrong, they will never address your points or answer your questions. The reason is simple: they cannot defend their position without looking foolish.
Not that it will make any difference with him, but keep these quotes handy for future reference. Do these quotes sound like the WT is just dispensing "advice"? You can hardly be claiming to speak for god, be his only true organization, allow no independent thought, and claim no understanding is possible without the WT organization, and at the same time be claiming to be dispensing mere "advice". Ask this person, "if the WT only prints advice, how come you cannot disagree with it?"
*** w83 1/15 p. 22 par. 21 Exposing the Devil’s Subtle Designs ***
21 How is such independent thinking manifested? A common way is by questioning the counsel that is provided by God’s visible organization
" The other sheep should never forget that their salvation depends on their active support of Christ's anointed " brothers" still on earth.". - W 3-15-12, p.20
"False religious propaganda from any source should be avoided like poison! Really, since our Lord has used "the faithful and discreet slave" to convey to us "sayings of everlasting life," why should we ever want to look anywhere else?" Watchtower 1987 Nov 1 p.20
"A mature Christian must be in unity and full harmony with fellow believers as far as faith and knowledge are concerned. He does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and the faithful and discreet slave." (Watchtower, August 1, 2001, p. 14).
The Watchtower, October 1, 1967 Issue, Page 590:
....[Jehovah's Witnesses] must recognize and accept this appointment of the "faithful and discreet slave" and be submissive to it.
Wt 59 09/1 p 530
"The voice of Jehovah speaks to us today through his organization, giving us correction and instruction in righteousness and in active ministerial service. "
Wt 07 2/1 p24
. "And as was true of Noah, our success depends on obedience. We must obediently follow the direction Jehovah provides through his Word and his organization"
Wt 98 7/15 p14
"How happy we are that Jehovah is still speaking to us today, through his Word and his organization! "
"A basis for approved fellowship with Jehovahs Witnesses cannot rest merely on a belief in God, in the Bible, in Jesus Christ, and so forth. Simply professing to have such beliefs would not authorize one to be known as one of Jehovahs Witnesses. Approved association with Jehovahs Witnesses requires accepting the entire range of the true teachings of the Bible, including those Scriptural beliefs that are unique to Jehovahs Witnesses." (Watchtower, April 1, 1986, p. 31).
But if each of us were left to himself just because he has a copy of the Bible and were to direct his movements independently as he thought he understood the Word, what? It is likely, or possible, that there would be a great deal of confusion or working in competition among us. Hence, besides individually possessing God's Word, we need a theocratic organization. Yes, besides having God's spirit of illumination, a Christian needs Jehovah's theocratic organization in order to understand the Bible. (The Watchtower; 6/15/1951; pp. 375)
But Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his "faithful and discreet slave," made up of spirit anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives. Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do. (The Watchtower; 12/1/1981; pp. 27
